9 Employee Perk Ideas You’ll Want to Try
The success of your business relies entirely on your ability to recruit and hire top-level talent. Not only that, you have to do everything in your power to nurture that hire so they remain with your company long-term.
Unfortunately, this is something many business owners neglect and it continues to have a negative impact on their business until they do something about it. Offering traditional employee benefits definitely helps attract the talent you need, but it’s often not enough in today’s landscape.
Don’t worry, we have you covered with some amazing ideas for unique employee benefits that aren’t offered everywhere. They’re a way to separate yourself from the competition and incentivize recruits to show interest in your company.
Let’s take a look:
1. Education
We know what you’re thinking right now, “I don’t have to pay for my employee’s tuition, do I?” The good news is no, unless you want to. While it would certainly be enticing to anyone interested in a job and an education, it’s not necessary.
Instead, you should consider certifications, specific courses, and extracurricular training that you might see as beneficial to the employee’s ability to do their job efficiently. If you offer to pay for it, they’re more likely to do it without hesitation.
2. Create the Ultimate Break Room
Let’s be honest, all work with limited play is difficult to pitch to anyone in this modern era. If you truly want to win over recruits, creating a dedicated space in the office or warehouse for employees during break hours can do a lot for morale and productivity.
Not only will your employees be more excited about coming to work and getting started, but they’ll continue to perform at their best throughout the day since they’re being given a true break as a reward.
3. New Parents
No, you won’t be offering to give your employees new parents. You will, however, be giving your employees greater benefits when becoming parents. Since we can all agree that juggling a newborn and a job at the same time is difficult, you can win recruits over by offering extended parental leave.
It’ll give recruits the sense that they can stay within the company long-term, especially since most people plan on starting and growing their family at some point in their life.
4. Do You Love Pets?
Let’s be honest, there’s something about having a pet around that helps boost morale and improve the overall vibe in a room -- any room. That’s why introducing a “bring your pet to work day” in your office can be extremely beneficial.
It can something you do yearly like “bring your child to work day,” or it can be something you do more frequently, sort of like “casual Fridays.” Either way, you’re going to make your employees extremely happy when that day comes.
5. Discounts Always Work
Whether you’re a business with a product or a service, offering discounts and coupons to your employees is another gret way to entice them to work for you. Especially in this day and age, everyone is eager to save money whenever they get an opportunity to.
It’ll also give them a reason to try your product or service, meaning they’ll be more involved in the company overall and have experience on the other end of the spectrum (as a customer). You can also give similar discounts to family members and referrals.
6. Time-Off
Things happen in everyone’s life at different times and they don’t always come with a warning. Other times, employees just want to take a break from everything and leave on vacation for a week. Either way, paid time-off becomes a blessing for these individuals.
Offering PTO benefits to your employees shows them that you care about their well-being. It shows you want them to stay their best at all times, even when life throws a curveball -- and if they need that break, they don’t have to take a financial hit as well.
7. Health & Wellness
Part of making sure your employees stay healthy year-round is making sure they have access to gyms, workout equipment, and even personal training. Employees that workout regularly are going to be healthier, which is good for your business because it means they’re giving you and your customers their best every day.
Reimbursing employees for these things goes a long way. Of course, you’ll need to set limits to what is included, but simply offering them a partial payment would help. Plus, it’ll incentivize them to use it more often.
8. Company-Wide Events
Anytime you have a team-building day, company-wide event, or retreat, you immediately start to grab the attention of recruits. Just the thought of being a part of those activities will make them not want to miss it. Plus, it gives you an opportunity to showcase the personality and character behind your business.
When employees get together outside of work and bond on a more personal level, they feel moer comfortable working with each other and it often leads to an increased performance out of them. They build a chemistry that you can’t find elsewhere.
9. Everyone Needs Food
Who doesn’t love food? What if you were to start offering lunch to your employees or even snacks throughout the day? Not only would it keep employees happy, but they’ll be more energetic and have the fuel they need to get through the harsh demands of the work day.
A great way to do this is by offering snacks everyday, but also picking one day of the week where you buy lunch for everyone in the office. It gives them something to look forward to and shows you care about your employees -- something they’ll definitely take notice of.
Of course, these are just some employee perks you can introduce in your company to help attract, recruit, hire, and maintain a roster full of top-level talent. When you can gain that, you’ll start to see your business take shape and build a level of sustainability that sets everyone up for future success.
